New Van

I posted about our accident a few weeks ago and how we had seen God's hand of protection on us throughout the whole ordeal. We were also blessed by people reaching out to us to help and encourage us. What could have been a tragic situation turned into us watching friends and family be God's hands and feet to us and we are so thankful for each one of you.

We continued to see God working as we looked for a new van. His provision has been amazing.

We looked on AutoTrader.com and found about 6 vans we wanted to check out. We spent a whole Friday driving around to three of the vans and had no luck. One of the vans was not at all what we wanted, one had gone to auction the day before (yeah, outta put that kinda info on the website, wouldn't you think?!) and one wasn't at the location that the internet said it was at (in Tyler). It was two hours in the opposite direction (in Pittsburg). We were so frustrated and discouraged.

We were also kicking ourselves for not calling the places first.

So, we decided to take Saturday and go look at the van that was in Pittsburg. We did call first to make sure it was there.

When we got there and looked at it, we were disappointed to see a big dent in the back fender and lots of broken plastic parts inside (cup holders dangling, arm rests missing/hanging, seats that were supposed to be stow and go that wouldn't stow, etc). It was in terrible condition. We still drove it, but had pretty much made up our minds before we drove back into the lot.

But, when we drove in, we noticed a Nissan Quest that was in great condition (from the outside). Our first thought was that it was probably a newer year than we were wanting, since it looked so nice. Turns out, it wasn't!

So, we drove it and were very pleased. It was close to our price range, was in perfect condition (it had only had one owner) and wasn't white. That last one wasn't a deal-breaker, but we had talked about hoping we could get a color other than white. :-)

To make a long story short, we ended up paying a little more than we wanted to, but were very pleased with it and felt it was worth it. It was neat to realize that if the van we originally wanted to see had been in Tyler (like the internet said it was), we would've completely missed seeing the Quest because it wasn't on the internet at all. See, God's timing and direction.

And, the cherry on top is that we got the quote from our insurance company for how much they were going to give us for our old van and it was about $1500 more than we were expecting. And, that was the exact amount that we paid over our original budget plan when we got the new van!

I feel a little guilty being so blessed by God when it was my fault that the accident even happened. But, I am thankful for His grace.

And, without further ado, here is our newest member of our family:


Growing up, we always named our vans, but Slade and I are a bit boring and we just call it "The Van". Yes, I know.


So, if you see a black Nissan Quest driving down the road, it's us. But, you might not want to wave or distract me since I seem to be an accident magnet at this point.

It's a tough job...

...but someone's gotta do it. Shop, that is!

Whew, I have a busy day and I really ought to get it started, but I wanted to post a few good deals I found this weekend that I plan on using today.

First, I'm headed off to JCPenney to use a $10 off a $25 purchase coupon. I have a $25 gift card for JCPenney that I received from MyPoints. So, basically, I get $35 worth of clothing for free. And, of course, I plan on taking advantage of the 60% off sale they have going on right now, so I'll get more than $35 worth of clothing. Whoo hoo!

MyPoints is a company (I guess that's what it is?) that sends out e-mails and you get points for clicking to go to their advertisers' websites and then you get points if you purchase anything. I rarely purchase anything, unless it was something I was already planning to buy from that company (business cards, etc), and the points slowly add up. If you want to do MyPoints, let me know and I'll "refer" you. I think you get more start up points that way.

Then, while I'm at the mall, I'll break my rule of avoiding Victoria's Secret at all costs (I HATE that store because I think they have their models in provocative poses--there's a difference between Hanes Her Way selling unmentionables and VS selling them...) to use this coupon for free panties, no purchase necessary. See, I'm not supporting them, I'm taking advantage of them. There's a difference, right?

Then, I'm off to Wal-Mart and maybe CVS and Walgreens. We'll see if we make it past Walmart. It's a lot to ask of two hooligans, er, I mean, sweet boys.

Just wanted to share my discoveries for anyone interested. The JCPenney coupons expires tomorrow and the VS one is for today only, first 100 customers. Both coupons have to be printed out.

Good luck. May the force be with you.

Slave Labor

Well, we've started consistently doing chores around here. Okay, I already was doing them, but now I've allowed my children to partake in the great joy that one receives as a result of doing chores on a daily basis.

Ever since I posted about wanting the boys to have regular chores, I've been "testing" them to see what they can do. I have been pleasantly surprised to see all that they are capable of and how eager they are!

I'm also wondering why I didn't start this sooner! These kids are a huge help!

I took popsicle sticks and wrote the boys' chores out, one on each stick. Then I used baby food jars (the large ones) and decorated them. I know, I know, that step was unnecessary, but it was fun!

Russell got an alien in a space ship:


And Randall got a rocket ship:


As you can see, each boy gets two jars. One has "To Do" on it and the other has "Done". I choose the chores each morning and put them in the "To Do" jar. As they finish them, they, obviously, move the popsicle sticks to the "Done" jar.

I also have extra chores that they can do (after they've finished their regular ones) and they can earn extra money for doing them. They are marked with a red dot so I remember that they are extra. And, I have an extra jar for the chores that aren't necessary that day (like emptying the trash or putting away clean clothes, etc).


I still haven't decided how much they will get for an allowance (One dollar? Two dollars?), so I don't know how much the extra chores should be worth either. Ten cents each? A quarter?

I'm going to list out what each boy has for chores and I'd love advice if anyone has other chores that their kids are doing at my boys' ages!

Russell (7):
Make bed
Put dirty clothes away (this is done throughout the day and moved to "Done" at the end)
Put clean clothes away (when I do laundry, he takes his clean clothes and hangs them up or puts them in drawers--neatly)
Gather and take out recycling
Take trash out
Empty dishwasher
Help load dishwasher
Water garden (Russ and Rand rotate between the veggie garden in the back and the flower garden--if you can call it that--in the front)
Set table
Clear table
Pick up toys (throughout the day)
Read (for 20-30 minutes)
Write in journal (this one is just during the summer to keep his brain sharp) :-)
Practice piano (this one won't be done much during the summer because he gets a break while his piano teacher has and gets adjusted to a baby!)

Some of his "chores" (like practice piano or read) aren't really chores, but they are in there to remind him and help make them good habits.

Randall (5):
Make bed
Put dirty clothes away
Put clean clothes away
Empty small trashcans (we have two in the bathrooms and one in the computer desk; he empties them all into the lightest, empties that into the kitchen trash and returns all cans to their original spots)
Empty dishwasher (silverware and stacking bottom rack items on the counter for Russ to put in the cabinets)
Water garden
Set table
Clear table
Pick up toys
Read (with me listening for 10-15 minutes)
Practice handwriting (again, just during the summer)

Extra chores:
Wipe prints off around light switches
Help make a meal
Clean toilet
Sweep bathroom
Vacume bedroom
Wipe down kitchen table
Read extra (they can also do this for extra Wii minutes)
Fold towels


Some of these still require my supervision, but I've been so pleased with their willingness to help and with how teachable they've been to my instruction on how to do the chores!

Friday was our "first official day of summer vacation" and it was a great day! The rule for the summer will be that chores must be done and kids dressed (teeth brushed, etc) before anyone can play the Wii, ride bikes, etc. Monday, everything (minus reading and "school work") was finished by about 8:15! I was shocked! I know that not all days will go that smoothly and that some days, it might be a battle to get them to do what they're supposed to do, but I feel like our summer is off to a great start!

The kids also help get the mail, dust and whatever other things I think to ask them to do. I don't know why I didn't start this sooner. Maybe I didn't realize what they were capable of.

Last night, Slade and I went to Shreveport to celebrate our 10-year anniversary (a month late, but better late than never!) and the boys packed their bag with no help from me! Then when we got home today, they both unpacked their things *and* put them where they belonged. Normally, I just do things like that myself because it's easy and I don't think to have them do it.

I'm so proud of them!

Any tips on other chores they can add to their repertoire? What about allowances? I was thinking a dollar in quarters, with .25 going to church and .25 going to savings, leaving them with fifty cents of their own. Or two dollars, one in quarters, one a dollar bill, with .50 going to church, .50 to savings and one dollar for them. I know it's not an even 10%, but they don't understand percentages yet and it's easier to divide out that way.

Well, we're enjoying blasting off to chores!


And, I leave you with a joke.

What did the alien say to the rose bush?

Take me to your weeder!

Ba-da-dum!

More Super Savings

I went shopping this morning, with no kids, and snagged some pretty good deals.

This batch is from Walgreens and CVS Pharmacy.


Some things I will mail off for a rebate on, some I got Register Rewards (RR) or Extra Cash Back (ECB) printed out. I didn't use my RRs or ECBs like I usually do because I just didn't feel like doing more than one transaction. So, I have some of those to use next time, but I'm counting them as if I used them. Does that make sense?

So, anyway, for shampoos and conditioners, cokes, and deoderants, my total that I spent was about $19. If I hadn't used coupons, gotten rebates or RRs/ECBs, I would've spent about $62.

Then I went to Kroger's and got all these goodies for about $20.


Without coupons and sale items, it would have been $47.

Then, the best of all the deals that I've ever gotten were at Target. I bought 4 bags of Nabisco Snak Saks, originally $1.52 each for $0.02 each!!


My Penny Pile is a blog I follow and she linked to some Target coupons that could be paired with manufacturer's coupons, giving a big discount! These will be great for vacations this summer!


I also got some Target brand fruit snacks for $0.50 each. That was just using the printable Target coupons for $1/1. Gummies make great in the car snacks when we're running errands.

I also got these Electrasol tablets simply using a great coupon for $2.50/1.


They were supposed to be $3 each at Target, but our Target didn't have them on sale. Maybe they will in a few days and I'll kick myself, but I was impatient and decided to just get them anyway. Instead of $4.30 each, I got both for about $3.50. Not too bad.

Some weeks, I just don't feel like doing the shopping or going to the different stores (although it took me only about 1 1/2 hours this morning), so I just don't. But, when I do, I enjoy tallying up what I've spent and saved. I know quite a few of you do the same sales, coupons, etc that I do, so if you post about your savings, link your post to here so I can see!

I am aware that I still have a few things to learn when I check out a blog I stalk of a friend of a friend... How does she do it?!

Let's go shopping!

This morning, Randall was bummed because his favorite cereal, Cheerios, were all gone. He said there weren't any cereals he liked for breakfast. Wa-a-ah.

I asked if he would like regular Cheerios or Honey Nut. He kinda looked at me strangely. I headed off to the guest room (to my stash) and heard Slade say, "Mommy's just going to run to the store real quick." So, I made car noises and screeched myself to a stop at the closet in the guest room.

The boys were very curious and ran after me.

Because of my sale shopping, coupon matching, internet coupons and such, I have a great stash of breakfast cereals, many that I bought for less than $1. I also have chips and granola bars and a few other food items that I know we will eat and I was able to get them for very inexpensive. The other day I bought French's mustard, originally $1.25 for $0.28. It was on sale somewhere for $0.78 and I had a $0.50 off coupon.


The kids haven't paid very close attention, I guess, to my little secret pantry because they thought it was great. Randall even did a little dance because he was so excited to have Cheerios when he thought all hope was lost.

I'm getting to where I don't have to spend as much time reading blogs, cutting coupons, and such because I'm getting a feel for what we will buy and what a good price is. It's getting fun!

This week, at Walgreens, I got 4 boxes of Post Trail Mix Crunch (in the small boxes like Grape Nuts), regularly about $3.50 each (well, more like $4.50 if I bought them at Walgreens) and I got them ALL for .50.


No kidding! They were on sale 2/$5. That would make them $10 total. But, I had 3 coupons for $2/1, so that took off $6, making them $4, which would have been a great price--$1 each. However, I also had $3.50 in Register Rewards from last week, making my grand total $.50. It was all the cash I had on me. *grin* Glad I didn't have to use the credit card for that!

It's so fun to go "shopping" and not have to leave the house!

Saving Money

As I've mentioned before, I've been using TheGroceryGame.com to try to match sales with coupons to get the best price.

I've also discovered a few blogs that list many of the sales/coupons out for you for free! They don't list everything on the ad, but they do list many of the sales where you have a coupon to go with it. They also tell you when you could use a printable coupon, too, and link you to the printable coupon.

Here are some of my favorite blogs (in no particular order):
Growing Up Gabel
Money $aving Methods
My Penny Pile
Southern Savers
It's Hip to Save!
Deal-Seeking Mom
Money Saving Mom
A Thrifty Mom

Each blog is a little different, some tell of online sales, some link to printable coupons for restaurants, some go through all the sales ads (not just the ones available in my area or at the stores here), some give menus/recipes for meals made using the foods on sale, etc. Some tell you where you can go to sign up for free products and samples. Anyone have any other blogs/sites they recommend?

I've also learned through a Yahoo group that I'm a part of (Evelyn's Gleaning, if you're interested in joining, too) that you can upload e-coupons onto your Kroger card and use them along with printed coupons or manufacturer's coupons. Whoa! Sometimes that means double the savings! Using printable/manufacturer coupons and e-coupons, I've gotten toilet paper for free, a $10 Venus razor (my favorite one to use) for $2 and such. I use P&G eSaver and Cellfire.com.

I've also discovered that Walgreens and CVS Pharmacy offer reward bucks (that print out when you purchase certain items listed in their sales ads) that you can use the next time you shop with them.

Whew!

If that sounds overwhelming to you, you're not alone! I feel like I've spent the last few weeks hibernating, just browsing through ads, clipping coupons and reading blogs/e-mails to figure this whole thing out. However, I feel like I am ready to emerge from the blanket of coupons and sales ads that I've been hiding under and share some of the great sales I've found. Not that I've learned everything, because I definitely haven't "arrived" at Coupon Queen status or anything, but I feel a little more comfortable "working the system" at the stores in my area. I'm also still learning what a "good" sale is and what a "great" sale is and how to know to wait for a great one.

I wanted to share my shopping experience this morning. I hit Walgreens and CVS (two seconds apart on the same street!) as well as Target. I have just learned that you can print Target coupons that can be used with regular printable coupons or manufacturer's coupons. It's like using electronic and regular at Kroger. Suh-weet! You can go to Target's website, which has a few or you can get lots here (you don't need to register or anything).

Walgreens:
Betty Crocker chocolate frosting (we like to spread this on graham crackers every once in a while) 2/$3, plus you get a $1 Register Reward (RR) that prints out to use the next time you shop, kinda like making them 2/$2. Plus, I had printed two coupons from coupons.com for .55/1. That made them both .45 each!
Colgate Total toothpaste for $3.49 (more expensive than Wal-Mart, I know) and got $3.49 in RR to use next time. It's like getting it for free! Plus I used a $1/1 coupon, so it was like I got $4.49, instead of just $3.49.

I also have $4.50 to use next time I go to Walgreens.

CVS
Skintimate Shaving Gel on sale for $3.49 (not much of a sale!), but I got $3.49 in Extra Care Bucks (Extra Care Bucks), making it free! Kinda...
Colgate MaxFresh toothpaste on sale for $2.99, with $2.00 in ECB, making it .99, plus I had a coupon for .75/1, making it .24

I have $5.50 in ECB to use next time I shop.

Target
Pledge Multi-Surface Cleaning Spray $3.89. I used a $2/1 printable coupon and a $1/1 printable Target coupon, making it .89. I got two.
Cheetos (Big Grab size by register) $1.25. I used a $1/1 printable Target coupon, making it .25. I got two. Randall loves Cheetos in his lunches.

I bought other items that were on small sales or things I just needed on my list, too. Like, Target had their milk on sale $1.99/gallon and other things like that.

Unfortunately, no pictures because I put everything away before I decided to post this. Sorry! I'll do better next time.

Some sites for printable coupons to go with the e-coupons or use alone:
SmartSource.com, Shortcuts.com and coupons.com. I'm sure there are others, but those seem to be the most popular.

It is a little more time-consuming to do this coupon clipping shopping, and I'm still learning what I need and what I only *think* I need, but it's actually kinda fun! And, it's getting easier and faster as I figure it out. You should try it, too! Tell me if you do!

Once Upon a Closet Resale

I keep meaning to tell everyone, but keep forgetting!! My friends, Aimee and Kara, are the masterminds behind the sale "Once Upon a Closet Resale". It is similar to the CCC sale in Tyler and the Repeats are Neat sale here in Longview. Children's clothing, toys, movies, shoes. And I think a few random things that made it in even though they weren't supposed to. :-)

I went up to volunteer on Tuesday and was so impressed with how organized everything is! And, everything is in great condition!

Then yesterday, I did my shopping and spent *cough* on clothes for the boys. I didn't find anything we needed for Randall since he gets Russell's clothes, but I did great for Russell. Randall's happy that more of Russell's clothes get to come down to him and Russell liked the new clothes. Score! I would say half of the shirts I bought (for $3 or less) still had tags!

So, now the sale is open to the public! Today (Thursday) from 8am to 6pm and tomorrow (Friday), same hours. Go check it out!

And, if you tell them that Jaime sent you, you get 10% off your order.

Ha, ha, gotcha! April Fool's!

Oh, what?! April Fool's is only *one* day out of April? Who made that silly rule? I think it ought to go on all month...

Oh, well. If you tell them Jaime sent you, they might... smile at you bigger... or something... or not...

Anyway, go check it out!! You'll be glad you did. And, you can get on the mailing list to sell your stuff at the next sale. Suh-weet!

A look at my day--Facebook style

Today has been a good day and I noticed that I chronicled much it on Facebook, so I thought I'd use my Facebook statuses (or the ones I would have used, had I remembered to update at the moment) to blog about the happenings today.

I packed the boys lunches this morning in their Laptop Lunch boxes for a little variety. I made sandwich wraps and gave their apples a little checkerboard fun. My status would have said: Jaime is spending way too much time just to cut up her boys' apples for their lunches.

I was very pleased with the result, though!




I found out when the boys got home from school that both liked the apples, but neither liked the sandwich wraps because they had cucumbers. Oh, well. You win some, you lose some.

I was busy and didn't post about this, either, but if I had, it would have said: Jaime 's sweet hubby helped to start her day off right.

This morning, after everyone had left for school or work, I grabbed my cell phone to see if I'd missed any texts or anything during the night and discovered a sweet love note from Slade folded up and placed inside. What a lovely start to the day. It is tucked in my wallet.

Jaime just discovered that Febreeze does not have a lid and if you pull the little handle-thingy that looks like it would lift a lid off, you will get sprayed.

I went shopping this afternoon using my online coupons, my regular coupons and my sales fliers and came home with some great deals! (A whole 'nother post on that later!) One of my great deals was a $2.99 can of Febreeze for $.99. I was going to try it out and grabbed the lid (or so I thought) and promptly sprayed myself in the face. I admit it. I am an idiot. But, I smelled great all day.

You will be happy to know (or at least, I was happy to know) that Febreeze doesn't sting when sprayed directly in your eyes at a very close range. So, go ahead and give it a try. Everybody's doing it. At least, that's what I tell myself...

Here are my great deals:


I bought $78.62 worth of groceries and household items and only paid $33.78 (some stuff wasn't on sale but I needed it anyway) thanks to the ridiculous amount of time I spent cross-referencing and checking for the best deal and such. It was worth it, though! I'll post the details of the trip later. And, hopefully, I'll get quicker at finding those good deals so I don't lose my mind.

Next status: Jaime wants a baby. Actually, I just want *this* baby that I'm holding while I type this!

I offered to watch my friend, Eun-Jin's adorable little guy while she got her hair cut today and after a little bit of playing, he slept most of the visit. Am I that boring?!


A close up of his sweet face.


Isn't he adorable?! He's the perfect size and has the sweetest little personality. Playing with him really did make me want another one. Usually it's just the little girls that do that to me.

For dinner: Jaime just made homemade pizza. I think it's the first time ever. It was Gwen's pizza crust recipe--Thanks, Gwen!! It was YUMMY!

I made homemade pizza tonight. All by myself. Like a big girl! I was so proud. I used Gwen's recipe for the dough (recipe below) and my own simple, no brainer recipe for the pizza sauce. Then the boys helped me add the toppings. I should say "boy" because Randall was having a difficult afternoon and wasn't in the mood to help, nor was I in the mood to have him help at that point. My status would have said: Jaime has a 5 year old boy that is free to a good home.

For the pizza toppings, I browned some hamburger meat and we had one hamburger pizza (half with chopped bell peppers and onions for Slade and me) and one meat lover's pizza--hamburger, salami and turkey chunks. I used mozzarella cheese and a Fiesta blend (whatever that is) because I didn't have enough mozzarella.

The pizzas before going in the oven.


Done and delicious!




Pizza Dough:
3 C flour
2 T sugar
1 t salt
1/4 C oil
1 pkg yeast
1 C warm water

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Let sit while measuring other ingredients into large bowl. Add yeast mixture and mix well. Let stand for 5 minutes. Press onto greased 17x11 pan. Top as desired. Bake at 400* for approximately 20 minutes.

So easy and so good!!

Pizza Sauce:
I took a can of tomato paste and watered it down by filling the can with water one time. Then I added 2 Tablespoons of Pampered Chef's Italian Seasoning. It was delicious!

So, it's been a good day. For some reason, right now, Facebook isn't working for me. It won't let me do anything. So, I'll post my final status here: Jaime should be getting ready for bed, but is blogging instead.

Good night, blog friends! And, if you're on Facebook, look me up!

Grocery Game Update

Well, I've used The Grocery Game for my regular shopping trip twice now and I thought I'd post an update on what I think of it.

I have mixed emotions...

Pros:

* I love the convenience of just checking online for the sales and having them tell me which coupons will work, too. It saves me the trouble of digging through ten million coupons (only slightly exaggerating here--I have three Sundays of coupons and there are SO many--it's overwhelming!) to see *if* I happen to have one for the items on my list.

* It is also easier to see what's on sale when it is listed out, versus flipping through the sales fliers.

* Since I am used to using the sales fliers, I don't feel like I am spending much extra time by clipping the coupons, too.

* It is less than $1 a week for me to have the convenience of someone else "flipping through my coupons and sales ads", so to speak. That is a huge pro!

Cons:

* I will never be able to say that I "saved half off of my average grocery bill" because I have almost always made out a menu and shopped off of the sales ads without the coupons. I might save an extra $10 here and there or even $20 sometimes, but not always. I know there are those that have been amazed at how much they've saved by doing a menu, planning a shopping list, using the sales ads and clipping coupons. I'm just not one of them.

* I was under the impression that The Grocery Game people would tell me when would be the absolute best time to use the coupons I had, but they just tell you every time when you can. I might use a coupon one week because crescent rolls are on sale and then, come to find out, they were on an even better sale the next week and would've been even cheaper if I'd saved my coupon.

* I could do it myself, if I was willing to invest the time.

So, I don't know if that helps anyone or not, but it's my follow up on my experience and thought about using The Grocery Game. I do recommend it, especially if you are a "drop by Wal-Mart on the way home from work" kinda person. I also recommend it if you have never used your sales ads. You can save so much by using them, and, as I'm learning, even more using the coupons with the sales ads. I don't recommend investing the money if you aren't a menu-maker. You will end up with a lot of things that you purchased for cheap that will just sit in your pantry. Not much help, really.

So, I guess I give it a thumbs up and a thumbs down, but the thumbs up is more excited than the thumbs down is sad. How's that for clear as mud?!

A Joke and a Sweet Deal

A guy is traveling and he stops at a Dairy Queen for lunch in Cut-n-Shoot, Texas. He's talking to his wife on his cell phone and is trying to explain where he is. His wife has never heard of Cut-n-Shoot (has anyone?!), so she's asking if it's "and" or "n". The guy isn't sure, so he waits in line to ask the young lady at the cash register. He holds his phone out and asks the lady to slowly spell the name of where he is to answer his wife's question.

She smacks her gum, looks at him like he's daft and slowly spells, "D-A-I-R-Y-Q-U-E-E-N"

Thank you, thank you. You've been a great audience tonight!

Okay, I have to confess, that's not the real joke. I can't remember the real one that we used to tell growing up. I remember the punch line (and my mom was really good at telling it), but not the actual joke. So, I just kinda made it up. I know, I know, don't quit my day job.

Well, there is a point to the joke. Dairy Queen is launching their first-ever permanent value menu. They say, "You can mix and match nine menu items, choosing two for $3, three for $4 or four for $5. You have the freedom of choice with more than 20,000 combinations."

I'm not a math person, so I'm not going to challenge the 20,000 combinations, but I might have to test it. So, my first deal would be a chocolate dipped ice cream cone.

Oh, wait, there's not a deal for one item. Bummer.

I really, really like the chocolate dipped ice cream cones. I guess I could buy two. Or Slade and I could go on a date and get chocolate dipped ice cream cones. I suppose we could get dinner, too, with those great deals, but, really, is there anything better than chocolate dipped cones? I'm going with "no".

But, it would take me a really long time to test their 20,000 combinations idea with just one or two ice cream cones at a time, so I guess we'd better get more. I would get a burger (all the way with mustard) and fries and Slade would probably get a cheeseburger (mayo and lettuce only). He won't get the fries because he'll say he's not that hungry... and then he'll proceed to eat mine.

It happens all the time.

So, I'll order a burger and two orders of fries just to beat him at his game. Sneaky, I know.

So, what would you order?

And, did you like my joke?! Be honest. Be brutally honest.

But, remember, if you're not nice, I won't invite you to go to Dairy Queen with me. And I'll eat your ice cream cone.

Teaching my children to walk in the Way...

Maybe I shouldn't have capitalized the 'w' in 'Way' in my title...

A few weeks ago, my mom, sisters and I had a garage sale at my mom's house. She has a perfect location because she's right off of a main street through town.

I spent the week before the garage sale getting ready (tagging stuff, finding stuff, etc) in our garage, while Randall and Russell played outside.

The garage sale went great and I made $400! I love garage sales--having them and shopping at them!

I think my excitement about garage sales is rubbing off on my kids and I couldn't be prouder.

The week after the garage sale, Randall invented his own game and called it "playing garage sale" (he's creative like that). He wrote out price tags on paper, cut them out and used small pieces of tape to tape them to different items around the house. Then he would tell me that it was time for me to go "shopping".

So, I would shop and buy everything he priced. Then we would sit down together and count up how much I owed him and I would pay him with the boys' fake money. We probably played this game for an hour the first day (that's not counting the amount of time Randall spent writing, cutting and pricing).

He loved it! We played over and over. It cracked me up the way he would determine what he wanted to "sell". He would say, "We don't play with this anymore" or "We just don't like this anymore" or other phrases that I'm not sure where he learned...

I enjoyed playing it because he was working on his writing, on using scissors and then on math as we would add up my purchases. And we were garage sale-ing! What can be more fun than that.

Well, last night, Russell realized that he had accidentally left his Blankie at Aunt Christy's where he had spent the night. He was sad, but was surprisingly okay with sleeping without it so I told him we would get it today.

This morning, when he woke up, Slade and I both commented on how well he slept, even without Blankie. He looked a little impish as he asked, "Since I did well without Blankie, does that mean we have to sell him in our next garage sale?"

Silly little guy. I reassured him (not that he needed it) that we will never sell Blankie and he can keep him for as long as he wants, even if he doesn't need him for sleeping. We talked about things we keep because they're special, even if we don't need them anymore. Then we talked about the kinds of things we sell--clothes we've outgrown, toys we don't play with anymore, books that are too young, etc. (Sometimes I have been known to get rid of things that the kids still like, but I promise that's not often! In fact, if the kids didn't see the stuff in the garage sale pile, they wouldn't even miss most of what we sell.)

He probably didn't want the whole explanation, but I gave it anyway. Teaching my children to walk in the way... :-)

Happy Black Friday!

Well, I'm not usually a Black Friday shopper. I don't like crowds, I don't like fighting and I don't like crabby people. And, that's pretty much what Black Friday is all about. Did you know that Michael's had their Black Friday on Thanksgiving evening?! Crazy!

I do, however, like good deals. And, sometimes you can find a deal too good to pass up, even if you have to get out on Black Friday.

I mentioned a while back that I was saving up my money I make from my craft shows to buy a refrigerator. Well, with my craft show money and the money I make for working in the nursery at church (I put that in a spot in our budget each month and it just sits there and builds little by little), I had enough for this set from Lowe's:


It's the stainless steel look-alike. Not real stainless steel, so we won't have to worry about fingerprints and such. I had actually wanted a black refrigerator, but this was too good of a deal to pass up!

Not only will I get a refrigerator, but a dishwasher, a stove and an over-the-stove microwave. I didn't "need" any of them, really even including the fridge. But, none of our appliances match and I just planned to slowly replace them as we had the extra money. Then this deal came along and Slade and I agreed that it was worth the extra for the other appliances. Plus, I had exactly the amount needed in my scrapbooking fund!

So, this morning, we headed to Lowe's and ordered them. They will be delivered to us on Wednesday! I'll be listing our other appliances either on Cheapcycle or Craig's List, I haven't decided which, so it's like getting a bit of a rebate there, too.

I'm very excited! In December, when Slade doesn't have any classes to worry about, we're going to do some remodeling in the kitchen. I'll be painting the cabinets white and replacing hardware (I already bought the handles and knobs when the style I liked was being discontinued and they were super discounted) and then we'll get new countertops and have the floor tiled. It's going to look like a new kitchen! We had talked about putting the house on the market again in a few months, but since we just really didn't find what we wanted when we looked before, we've decided to stay here, enjoy our crazy low house payment and just continue to put as much into seminary savings as we can. I think this will be the wisest course of action. And, having the kitchen all spiffy looking will make the time here all the more fun!

So, it'll be in increments over the next month. I'll try to remember to take pictures so I can post before, during and after.

For once, I'm thankful for Black Friday!

Jackpot... for someone else...

At one of the garage sales we went to, my mom and I found a fun Lego phone. I paid $4 for it, cleaned it up when I got home, and I'll wrap it for Russell for Christmas. Later, I was looking around on eBay and found this. It's the exact same phone I bought for four bucks. I was watching 4 different auctions with the same phones to see how much they all went for. They all sold for over $30. If you do a search for Lego phone or Lego telephone, you can find 4 or 5 active ones right now.

For a split second, after seeing all the auctions, I considered getting something else for Russell and selling the phone to pay our house payment this month. But, then I remembered that I had bought the phone for Russell, not for reselling on eBay.

But, I was tempted...

So, what would you do: give the gift, as originally intended, or try to sell it and get something else? There is no right or wrong answer, I'm just curious.

Coupon Card Update

Well, an update on the fundraiser issue. I called the school and left a message for the coach to call me back. (The fundraiser was for Athletics) I haven't heard back. Big surprise.

So, I went to my bank with a copy of the tampered-with check and it took all of about 10 minutes and they very sympathetically "refunded" the $30. It was easy and painless and I even got to vent a little to someone who shared my indignation. It just went perfectly. :-)

The check had been made to the school, so there's no guarantee they will even be able to find out who turned it in (and tampered with it). But, I do want them to know that it was an issue so they can pay closer attention next time. And, I want to let them know that I won't be buying from a student I do not know again.

And, I'm doubly thankful for the modern convenience of online banking! It would have been weeks before I caught that if I'd had to wait for the paper statement from the bank. So, I guess all's well that ends well.

How rude!

The title was said in a Stephanie voice (the middle daughter on Full House).

About a week ago, a polite middle schooler came to our door selling a "coupon card" for his fundraiser at school. It didn't have the greatest of coupons on it, but it was only $10 and he had kind manners and answered all my questions very respectfully. I was okay with spending $10 to support a student like that.

Then tonight, I sat down to do the budget and check the checkbook with our online bank statement and lo and behold, my $10 check had been withdrawn as $40. Luckily I am able to view a copy of my check and I could see that someone had changed my 1 to a 4 and the bank didn't double check to see that where you write out the amount (to avoid this problem), I had written "Ten dollars" and not "Forty dollars". My heart skipped a beat.

I have the number to the school and I will be calling tomorrow to see who I should talk to. I'm debating just returning my coupon card and getting a complete refund. The coupon card isn't that impressive (mostly just "get a free drink when you purchase this or that" and I'm not a coke drinker) and I'm just frustrated that the school and then the bank didn't catch that. I know it's an honest mistake and perhaps they'll be apologetic and helpful and then I guess I'll just keep it and make sure the $30 is credited back to us. I probably just need a night to cool off.

At the bottom of my check, in the memo space, someone had written "fundraiser" and it didn't look like a middle school boy's handwriting, so I'm assuming someone other than the kid I bought from made the change. I'm not surprised that someone would be dishonest like that, but I don't know why they did it. They didn't get any extra money... oh, but they did get 3 extra cards to keep, I bet. Well, I hope they choke on their free drinks and spew coke out their noses... Okay, no, I don't. Well, I guess it would be kinda funny if every time they used their ill-gotten coupon cards, they had some kind of trouble with their order or something... Okay, that's definitely not Christ-like.

I'll leave the consequences up to God and just settle for my $30 back.

Budgeting

Well, Slade and I sat down and went over our budget. We decided that we need to make our budget fit the kind of paycheck he'll probably be getting when he's in full-time ministry. So, we cut back where we could and shifted and such. Somehow, we made it work! So, if we stick to it, we should be building up a nice little nest egg (that we had been building up and then went through to buy Slade's car and then fix some unexpected things on that car--ugh!).

It was very reassuring to see that we can make it when he takes a cut in pay. Lately, we have had a lot of negatives in the budget and that was worrying me. I don't know where we could cut back (besides the ones we've always struggled with--entertainment/eating out and... um, clothing...) and I was feeling overwhelmed. But, we figured it all out and if we (mostly I) can curb the impulsive buying ("Oh, it's on sale!" or "Even though we went out last night, let's go out tonight anyway." or "But it's on sale!" or "We'll probably need it someday at some point for someone...and, besides, it's on sale!"), then we should be okay. And, curbing the impulse buying is a good thing to do anyway!

Going over the budget ended up being such a relief (instead of a stress) and such confirmation that we are doing what God wants us to do. Not only can we live on the smaller paycheck, but we have been able to save some for seminary right now. I don't know if we'll be able to do it completely debt-free, but that's our goal. And, I know it's not too big a goal for God. It's neat to see how God has directed us this far and how events from the past have led us here, which is right where we know God wants us. Things that seem like neat coincidences are really amazing God directions. It gives me such a peace, in the midst of the unknown and the uncertain, to know that God knows and is certain and that we can rest in Him.

What big eyes you have...

...the better to see you with, my dear!

I have been contact shopping online this evening and discovered something cool! 1-800-CONTACTS will beat any other online price by 2%. Pretty nifty. So, I went through their little link and they called me 2 seconds later. Pretty cool. The lady I talked to was super friendly (make that perky) and very helpful. Unfortunately, as we talked, I realized that my doctor had prescribed me a certain pair of contacts (AcuVue Advance) and, just like any prescription, I couldn't ask for a different pair. I didn't realize that until I was on the phone with her. I didn't like them when I had them as trial contacts, but I just assumed I could order whichever brand I wanted when I ordered online. But, I can't. I didn't know it was really just like a prescription. Well, you learn something new every day.

So, I just have to call my doctor and see if he'll let me switch (and I'm sure he will because if he doesn't, I'll just switch doctors *pttbbb*). I went to a different doctor last time I needed contacts and disliked the doctor (well, really more disliked his rude and disrespectful staff), but really, really liked the contacts. This time, I disliked the contacts, but liked the doctor. So, if he okays me switching to O2OPTIX instead, I'll be one happy camper.

I'm sure no one really cares about my contact conundrum (alliteration and a big word, too!), but that's what I've been doing for the last 30 minutes, so I felt it was blog-worthy.

In other news across the country...

Slade had to leave this afternoon to go back to Sabine Pass to fix something else on the rig they have there. I think it's a rig that a customer is supposed to buy and isn't wanting to buy due to some unexpected problems. I don't blame them--I wouldn't drop a few million dollars if there were some unexpected problems, either! So, Slade gets to go fix whatever is wrong and will hopefully be home tomorrow afternoon. These short trips are great! He gets extra money per day and he's only gone a day or two. Short enough that I don't miss him too terribly much (and the kids don't, either, which means they're not at the super crabby stage yet), but long enough to get a little extra money.

Speaking of extra money, let's talk about a loss of money... Slade registered for 2 classes this semester. We talked about it and decided we felt it would be worth it to get more hours. Unfortunately, both had a ridiculous amount of reading and reports and such. He decided to drop one. He was feeling so stressed and exhausted and it just wasn't worth it. Unfortunately, he couldn't get his tuition back... It was a loss of $1000... *gasp and snort* But, he had been having terrible headaches for about a week and a half and once he dropped the class, the headache went away. I think it was stress. He had a bunch of stuff for the classes, and also a sermon for church to prepare, all due within about a 3 week period. It would have been cheaper to back out of the preaching *grin* but I know he misses preaching and looks forward to that opportunity. It usually takes him a few weeks to prepare a sermon.

So, the timing of these trips is perfect because Slade will get back over half of what he lost in that dropped class. And, we learned a good lesson. It's okay if it takes a little longer than he might have originally hoped/planned for him to finish seminary. He sometimes feels like he's going to be too old to preach once he finally finishes *grin*, but we just have to be patient and trust that this is the best timing. God knew we would have kids and that Slade would have a full-time job when He led us in this direction, so we just have to trust that we're still within His time frame, too.

So, I'm sitting here with a clean house and no motivation to scrapbook. What to do? Last night, Slade and I watched Traveler on abc.com and are hooked. I saw some of the pilot episode at my neighbor's house and it was very, very interesting! But, since we don't get any channels, I didn't mind too much leaving before it was over so I wouldn't get too into it. Then yesterday, Allison said you can watch full episodes online! So cool! So, we watched the three episodes available last night. We only missed one. So, now we're caught up and ready for the next one. It's suspenseful, action-packed, fast-paced and clean (well, clean as in no sex scenes; there was a little bit of language). Until Monk comes on again, we have a new favorite.